Duplex envelope



@ma @233; 1 47mm J. SAWDON DUPLEX ENVELOPE Filed May 18 1921 2 sheets sheet 1 52067560? 0 53 6 Smudw m,

@cih. 9 11923. 1 4N391 J. SAWDON DUPLEX ENVELOPE 'Fil May 18, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmcw 0R cums POST/26E HHIMM IPatentecl @ct. 9, i223.

rnirns 1 lallllhldl DUPLEX anymore.

Application filed may 1a,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SAWDON, of Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Duplex Envelopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to duplex envelopes of the kind in which a small compartment is provided for first-class mail matter'which must be sealed, anda larger compartment is provided for printed or other matter which must be left unsealed.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to so differentiate the two compart- 1 ments from each other, by superficial shading, that the duplex character of the envelope will be obvious.

To these and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set 2 forth and claimed, and-shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a face view of a duplex envelope embodying the principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2--2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, of the blank from which the larger compartment or body of the envelope is made.

Figure 5 is a similar plan View of the blank from which the smaller compartment is made.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the front flap in raised position.

Figure 7 is a rear view of the envelope, showing a portion of the back wall broken away to show the structure of the small compartment.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a rectangular envelope having a front wall 1 and a back wall 2, sealed at 3, and provided at the other end with a flap 4 having a string 5 to engage under the disk 6 ordinarily provided for this purpose, thereby to close the envelope without sealing it. A slot 7 is formed in the front wall 1, as shown, being a. little wider at its middle than at the ends thereof. A. sheet 8 has flaps 9 which are glued to the inner surface of the front wall, and an upper gummed flap 10 which extends through said Serial No. l-7tl,552.

slot. A strip 11 is glued to the top portion of the sheet 8, and to'the adjacent surface of the wall 1, inside the envelope.

The paper sheet 8 and its flap 10 are, as shown, of a darker shade than the paper of the walls 1 and 2, and the outline of the small compartment (which is on the face of the large compartment and within the rectangular area of the latter) is indicated on the outer surface of the envelope by a band 12 of color orof adark shade which 6 will contrast sharply with the light outer surface of the envelope. In addition, the surface inside of said band 12 has a shade or color to match said band, as at 13, but of such area that a light band 14-. is left to between the band 12 and the shade 13 on the outer wall of the small compartment. Thus the small compartment is superficially diflerentiated from or contrasted with, by a different shade or color, the larger com- 76 partment, so that the duplex character of the envelope is quite obvious. The purpose of the envelope, and the fact that it contains two classes of mail matter, are readily and instantly observed by the user and the so post ofiice employees, and by the person who receives the envelope.

Postage for the letter in the small compartment is attached at 15, on the flap 10, and at 16 for the matter in the large compartment, but the whole thing forms, of course, a single piece of mail when transmitted through the mails and when delivered to the person whose name and address appear on the tinted or shaded front surface 13 of the small compartment, the one address thus serving for both kinds of mail.

When the flap 10 is raised for the insertion of the letter in the pocket or small as compartment inside of the tinted or shaded area 13 of the envelope, the upper edgepor tion 17 of the small compartment is rendered invisible, and the point'of insertion of the letter is thus accentuated or made con- 10o spicuous, as said edge portion 17 is not shaded or tinted, but is left to correspond with the surface of the front wall 1 of the envelope, thus forming a light border or margin which contrasts sharply with the gray or blue or other shade of the sheet 8 and the shaded area 13 of the front wall of theenvelope. The letter is simply inserted under or back of this light border 17 and into the small compartment, and the flap 10 is then fastened in place to seal the small compartment.

When the flap 10 is raised for the insertion of the letter in the pocket or small compartment inside of the tinted or shaded area 13, of the envelope, the upper edge portion 17 of the small compartment is rendered visible, and the point of insertion of the letter is thus accentuated or made conspicuous, as said edge portion 17 is not shaded or tinted, but is left to correspond with the surface of the front wall 1 of the envelope, thus forming a light border or margin which contrasts sharply with the gray or blue or other shade of the sheet 8 and the shaded area 13 of the front wall of the envelope. The letter is simply inserted under or back of this light border 17 and into the small compartment, and the flap 1() is then fastened in place to seal the small compartment.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A duplex envelope comprising a relatively small compartment which has a shaded outer surface and which is adapted and intended to be sealed after the insertion of a letter therein. and a relatively large com; partment which has a ditferently'shaded outer surface and which is arranged back of the small compartment, so that the small compartment which has an outer surface of one shade is on the front of the large compartment which has an outer surface of a different shade, and which large compartment is adapted to be leftopen or unsealed at the back of the envelope after the inclosure of printed matter or an article therein, the envelope having a single addressing space for both compartments on the face at the small compartment, the two compartments being permanently united in one unitarv structure, with the small compartmcnt thus contrasting sharply with the face of the main envelope.

A structure as specified in claim 1, said relatively small compartment being formed by a sheet applied to the inner sur face of the front wall of the envelope, said sheet being of a shade to match the super ficial shading of the small compartment] and having a loose flap of the same shade, said envelope having a slot in its front all through which said flap projects outwardl v so that after the. letter is inserted through said slot into the relatively small compartment the flap may then be sealed by causing it to adhere to the outer sur face of the envelope, said small compart ment being disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the large compartment, and an inner retaining strip back of said flap to secure the sheet to the front wall of the envelope, the upper edge portion of the smaller compartment having means serving as an indicator toshow where to insert the non-accessibly sealing at least one compartment of the same shade, another compartment of said difi'erent shade being adapted to be left open or accessibly closed for mail matter which is not to be sealed, the contents of the unsealed compartment being removable without opening the sealed compartment, whereby things subject to different postal rates occupy different separate compartments which indicate different classes of mail in one and the same envelope structure, the entire sealed compartment and its flap being differentiated sharply from the unsealed compartment by the different' shading on the face of the main envelope, so that one address applied to the sealed compartment is sufficient for both kinds of mail matter, and with the total postage all on the front of the envelope but separately applied to each compartment.

4. A duplex envelope comprising a rela tively large rectangular compartment of a distinct shade for printed matter, or for other mail matter less than first class, and a relatively small letter compartment of a different shade on the front of said large compartment, contrasting therewith to indicate two classes of mail, and so that one address applied to the superficially difi'erentiated small compartment is sufiicient for both kinds of mail matter, with a flap on the rear side or back of the envelope for accessibly closing the large compartment, and a flap on the face or front side of the envelope for sealing the small compartment, the rectangular outline of the small compartment appearing immediately outside of the edges of said difi'erent shade on the face of the envelope.

5. A duplex envelope comprising a relatively large rectangular compartment of a distinct shade for holding mail matter less than first class, a relatively small rectangular compartment of a different shade for a letter on the front of? said. large compartment, the smaller compartment thus superficially differentiated from the other surface of the envelope being entirely within the area of the larger compartment, eontrasting therewith to indicate two classes of mail, and so that one address applied to the smaller compartment is sutiicient for both kinds of mail matter. the two compartments being inseparable, means to aca evo aei cessihly close the larger compartment, and a loose flap on the face of the envelope for non-accessibly sealing the smaller compartment after the insertion of the letter therein.

6. in a duplex envelope for mailing pun poses, a relatively large compartment having the front Wall thereof formed with a slot. a sheet secured inside said compartment and having a sealing flap extending through said slot, forming a smaller cornpartment, said well and sheet being of paper of contrastingshades, so that the flap is conspicuous on the front of the envelope, said well being tinted outside to match the shade of said flap and to outline the small compartment and to indicate the du lex character of the envelo c with the postage separately applied to each compartment, and with one address Within said tinted area for the entire envelope.

7. In a duplex envelope for mailing purposes. a relatively large compartment having the front Wall thereof formed with a slot, a sheet inside said compartment to form a smaller compartment, with the outer surface of said front Wall tinted to outline the smaller compartment and to indicate the duplex character of the envelope, and a sealing flap of a shade to match said tinted surface and adapted for closing said slot,

with a single address for the envelope Within said tinted area and with separate postage for each compartment.

8. in a duplex-envelope, the combination or a large envelope of one color or shade With a flap and space of another color or shade indicating a smaller envelope.

9. A. duplex envelope as specified in claim 8 said flap being made of paper of the desired color or shade, and said space being tinted to match said dap with means on said flap to indicate first class postage for the letter in the small envelope, and means on the large envelope to indicate postage for mail matter of a lower class therein, so that the postage for the two classes of mail matter is separately applied, said tinted space being for the single address with which the duplex envelope is provided when deposited in the mail, WllBZ- lay the address and postage are all on one and the same side of the duplex envelope.

10. it comhination twocompartment envelope formed to provide a main compartment for third or fourth-class matter and a letter compartment disposed upon the front of the envelope and having a sealing flap, the front face of the combined envelope for the area or" the letter compartment being colored differently from the remainder of the front face of the envelope.

JOSEPH SAW'DQN. 

